The present invention relates generally to support systems for shelves and the like, and more particularly to systems of this type that can be installed without tools.
There are a wide variety of shelf support systems that are designed to permit a shelf or similar support surface to be installed in place, usually by securing the shelf to a support, such as a stanchion. In many systems of this type, it is necessary to use attachment devices, such as screws, bolts and the like, to obtain a secure connection between the shelf and its support. While these systems do generally provide a proper support for the shelf, they must be manually installed using tools which is time consuming, labor intensive and expensive. Moreover, in time the attachment devices may loosen, which adversely affects the secure connection that supports the shelf.
It is also known to provide self support systems that do not require any special tools to install the shelf, but these systems are relatively complex in structure and difficult to install, and they therefore are relatively expensive. Additionally, in some cases there is not a tight fit between the shelf and its support.
Therefore, there exists a need for a shelf support system that can be installed easily and quickly without the need for tools or manually installed attachment devices, and that provides a secure and tight fitting support for the shelf.